Are One of These Things Holding You Back from Achieving?

Human beings are wired to achieve. The constant quest to make life better, easier, happier is right down there in our DNA. 

But achieving in itself isn’t that simple. Maybe you feel like you’re working hard, but you aren’t seeing the results you want. Or maybe you want to work hard, but aren’t sure what to work on.

Maybe it feels like the world is fighting against you.

If this feels familiar, chances are one of six things is holding you back. Today, let’s dig into each one to give you some insight and reveal how to move past that holdup. 

Overwhelm 

It’s easy to get to a place where you feel like there’s too much demand on your time, emotions, and health. Soon, those demands weigh you down so it feels like you can’t move forward. And the idea of achieving? No way you’ve got time for that when you’re trying to just make it through the day. 

If this sounds like you, we hear you. If you’re bogged down by existing commitments, you don’t have the resources (time, energy, money) to achieve. So what should you do? 

1. Get organized. This always helps because you’ve designated a place and time for everything. 

2. Be all in. In other words, focus on one thing. Skip the shiny things competing for your attention. When you’re all in and focusing just on making one thing happen, the overwhelm naturally fades away. 

3. Work in sprints. Working in short periods of time helps you buckle down and achieve while keeping the overwhelm at bay.  

Overwhelm will creep in from time to time, but use these tips to keep it at bay and keep moving forward on your goals. 

Lack of a North Star

Back before there were compasses, sailors used to guide their ships at night by looking up at Polaris, or the North Star. Using the position of the North Star, they could estimate where they were and find their way back home. 

Your North Star does the same for you.

Here’s how Britt breaks it down. 

When you don’t have a North Star or lose sight of it, you can feel lost, overwhelmed, or like you’re drifting. 

Pinpointing your North Star can take some time and effort, but trust us, it’s worth it. Britt digs into how to find yours in this podcast episode, but here’s a few quick questions to get you started: 

1. What is your North Star? You can have a personal and professional North Star!

2. Are you actually working to get there? Be honest. Do your current efforts move you closer to that North Star?

3. Do you recenter around your North Star or do you get distracted by curveballs? It’s a fact of life that you’ll get curveballs thrown in your path. When it happens, do you take a step back, breathe, and refocus?

If you want some guidance on your North Star, check out the Wealthiest Year Yet Intensives!

Lack of inspiration

Real talk: it’s impossible to achieve when you feel uninspired. 

Full stop. 

Inspiration is the fuel in your gas tank. You need it to get to your destination (a.k.a., your North Star). And if your tank is running low (or empty!), it’ll be hard to achieve. 

So how do you keep your tank full? 

1. Get curious. Notice what’s happening around you on your morning commute, whether it’s a ten-minute walk or a 45-minute drive. Pay attention to the stories your clients tell you, the questions they ask. Actually listen to that song, that podcast, instead of letting it drone on in the background. Pick up a new book, watch a new documentary. Go outside your comfort zone. You never know where inspiration will strike or what will fill your cup. 

2. Schedule white space. We said it. Schedule time on your calendar for your brain to unwind, be quiet, and rest. This is where the magic happens, friends.

3. Make sure you have the right guidance. There’s a lot of inspiration out there. Take the time to find a guide who gives you the right information you need to move forward (not just platitudes). 

Lack of guidance

Have you ever gone to Target without a list? Maybe you go in for a box of cereal (just one). Forty minutes later, you walk out with new clothes for your kids, a couple cans of beans, and a DVD player (even though you gave away your DVDs long ago). 

You knew all you needed was the cereal, but you walked out with a cart full of things you don’t need…and you forget the Lucky Charms.  

But if you have a list and know exactly what you need to get, it’s easier to walk by the flashy displays, right? 

It’s the same thing with guidance. But how do you know you found the right mentor? 

1. They understand the industry. They might be a great guide, but if they don’t understand the nuances of our industry, they likely may not be able to support you as you need. 

2. They realize where you want to go in life and business. We all want different things out of life. Make sure your prospective mentor understands what you want so they can offer the right guidance. 

3. They have the perspective and guidance to get you there. Look for somebody who says more than the generic “Reach for the stars.” The best mentors have tangible guidance, tried-and-true tips, and know the path you’re on inside and out. 

Resistance to change 

Change is scary, BUT it’s key to achieving everything you’re setting out to do. And resisting change? It might keep you safe in your comfort zone, but it won’t help you on your way to greatness. 

Resistance to change can look like bad money mindset, living in fear, or the conviction that if you make one wrong move, your world will fall apart. 

In other words, playing it safe in business and life causes you to stay in stagnation. 

But here’s the thing… When you’re trying to achieve something, you’re trying to create what you don’t already have. Basically, you want to lose what you have to gain what you don’t. 

And yes, that’s scary, but on the other side of that change is everything you’ve been searching for. 

How do you get started?

1. Do one small thing that scares you today. Just one. Maybe it’s complimenting the barista when you pick up your morning latte, offering that add-on service to your client, or setting a boundary when somebody asks for an appointment outside your working hours. 

2. Define what’s holding you back. There’s a kind of magic that appears when we name what’s holding us back. Maybe it’s something we dove into in the blog post, maybe it’s something else entirely, but naming it is the first step towards moving past it. 

3. Be kind to yourself. Moving through change is frightening. If you react to that fear, don’t beat yourself up or think you can’t do it. You can. Be kind to yourself and keep pushing through. 

When you’re ready to achieve, you’re ready to say goodbye to what’s right now and hello to a brighter tomorrow. Lean into that change, friends. 

Lack of innovation

How many stylists do you know who are playing the “better than” game?

You’ve heard of this game. It’s where businesses look at what their competitors are doing and try to one-up them. Just look at all the sales Target and Walmart now run during Amazon’s Prime Day.

But it’s not just the big box stores that are playing the “better than” game. Professionals across the industry are caught up in it too. 

And listen, it’s easy to look at what the salon across the street is doing and try to do one better. But here’s the thing: they are not your competition. 

You are. 

The “better than” game is a losing one. No one comes out on top.

Instead, focus on innovating. When you innovate, it’s impossible for somebody to be better than you because you’ve created something NEW. 

Innovative brands move forward faster because they’ve got eyes on their own paper. They’re building something new, instead of redoing what somebody else created. 

But how do you innovate?

1. Think about what will come up tomorrow. Not what the stylist next door is doing or what that educator is showing on Instagram. What kind of client will walk through your door tomorrow and what are their pain points?

2. Envision 5–7 years into the future. What will your dream client need five to seven years in the future and how can you serve it up? 

3. Keep your eyes on your own paper. It’s easy to look over at what so-and-so’s doing or feel intimidated by the guest experience that person’s rolled out. They are not your competition…you are. Focus on how to improve and innovate in your business because what they’re doing doesn’t matter. 

If you aren’t achieving, reflect back on these six points and identify which are plaguing you. Ask yourself what resources you need, what habits you need to change, and how you can evolve how you show up to ensure your North Star stays intact. 

If you want more guidance on your journey to achievement, join us for this season’s Wealthiest Year Yet Intensives! More details here.  /

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